![]() ![]() ![]() Doing so can open me up to violence, verbal abuse, and stereotyping associated with the negative images Westerners often show of Pakistani people. For example, as a result of the Islamophobic world we live in today, I get nervous telling people my family is from Pakistan. Something else to consider: Sometimes, even if the person is proud of their heritage, they may feel uncomfortable answering the "What are you?" question, so it's worth being careful not to put people on the spot. But no one is entitled to be able to just ask someone else "what they are" and expect an answer. People of color, meanwhile, are constantly asked to validate their skin color by attaching it to a race. like, "I am only human," or "I am caught in the unbearable and bleak vortex of life." Why is this racist? Because white people never have to talk about their background or racial identity - their skin color and white privilege saves them from the conversation. ![]() I'm always tempted to answer with something vague and broad. "Īh, the infamous "What are you?" question. Some of them are more obvious than others. No matter what your race, ethnic background, or language is, here are some examples of compliments you didn't realize were racist. Basically, we've probably all been guilty of it, regardless as to our racial or ethnic background - but we can also all work to improve the issue until it (hopefully) ultimately becomes a non-issue. (Y'all can thank colonialism for that, but that's a different article). Not only do people of color feel racism across borders and cultures, but there oftentimes exists a nuanced, internalized racism people of color can feel towards their own ethnic or racial group. It's worth noting that though a lot of the time, white people are the offenders when it comes to problematic, racist, and offensive compliments, people of color are by no means exempt from this conversation. Because at the end of the day, if you're going to pay someone an compliment, it should actually be a compliment - not a microaggression. The lack of knowledge doesn't necessarily excuse the compliment giver of fault, but it's worth having an open discussion for the sake of education about why the compliment in question is problematic and offensive. Put more basically a goldfish and a shark are both fish, but you need more context to see they are not the same. It would seem like common sense by now to take racism out of your compliments when talking to women of color, but the deeper issue is that a lot of people use compliments they don't realize are racist in the first place. Calling a white person a cracker is a form of bigotry, but it's not oppressive because the racial dynamics in the US had white people in a position of power over black people. Everyone loves compliments when they are respectful, delivered in a consensual way, and, you know, not racist. ![]()
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